The Telephone Rang Part 2, It Takes More Than One
by LadyOscar23
Summary: Steve has to come to terms with how important Danny has become to him, and Danny has to come to terms with the fact that Steve makes a terrible patient. Slash based on the episode "A Bullet for McGarrett". Reposted.
1. Cold War

**Author's Note: **Fanfiction dot net took this work down for exceeding the level of permitted adult content. I'm reposting it with the offending scenes cut (as indicated in the text). You can read this, and all my works, uncut on the Archive of Our Own, where I'm LadyOscar (direct link in my profile).

I recommend reading "The Second Confession", which is part 1 of "The Telephone Rang", before reading this. If you haven't, the most important thing to know is that Steve and Danny are lovers. Chin knows; Kono doesn't.

As usual, I am accepting the TV show's claim (in "Death is a Company Policy") that McGarrett was born in 1927, and taking Danno's age to be the same as his actor's (born in 1937). So, at the beginning of the story Danny is 31 and Steve is 41.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Steve McGarrett sat at his kitchen table in pajamas drinking coffee and contemplating the day ahead without enthusiasm. It was a Sunday morning, and technically his day off, but his partner Danny Williams was on the mainland arranging the extradition of a prisoner. An unforeseen legal snag had come up, and this was the fourth day Steve had woken up alone, missing Danny's sleepy blue-eyed smile. For the last three days he had worked long hours, eating at his desk, since there seemed no point in going home to an empty condo. Now, he had the day free to do whatever he wanted, provided he wanted to do it without Danny.

_You spent ten years alone, and now it hasn't even been a week and you're moping? You're pathetic,_ Steve berated himself. _What did I do on my days off before?_

* * *

McGarrett sat at his desk at Five-O headquarters, catching up on paperwork.

"Good morning, Steve. I thought you were off today?" Chin Ho Kelly strode across the expanse of pale carpet, carrying a lab report. He set the file on the desk.

McGarrett looked up. "Hi, Chin. I wanted to get these reports squared away."

"Don't worry, they'll get things straightened out in San Francisco. Danny will be back before you know it," the portly detective said with a knowing smile.

Steve glared at him. _Am I that obvious?_

* * *

On Monday, McGarrett once again sat at his desk, looking through the morning mail.

The telephone rang.

"McGarrett."

"Hi, Steve. Things are wrapped up here, so I'll fly back tonight on the redeye. I'm scheduled for tomorrow off, so that's no problem," said Danny, at the other end.

"That's great, Danno. If you're awake enough after the flight, want to head out for some fishing?" Steve asked, pausing in his task, an envelope in his hand.

"I didn't think you were free tomorrow," Danny said.

"There didn't seem to be much point in taking off on Sunday, so..."

"I'm afraid I already made plans with Kono last week that if I were back in time we'd go surfing, since I haven't been out for a while."

"Oh." Steve's face fell.

"Why don't you come with us?"

"No one wants to socialize with the boss on his day off. Besides, surfing isn't really my thing." He glanced at the letter he was holding, tossed it into the "not urgent" pile.

"I'll reschedule with Kono."

"No, you go and have fun."

"If you're sure..."

"We don't have to be together all the time, after all," Steve said, trying to keep his voice light.

"See you soon, Steve."

"Aloha, Danny."

McGarrett carefully set the receiver back onto the hook and glared at the phone, then knocked it flying off the edge of the desk. It landed on the carpet with a thump and a jangle of protest. _Just pathetic..._ he thought, as he bent down to retrieve it.

* * *

Danny stood in front of the door to Steve's condo the next evening, carrying a bag containing cartons of takeout Chinese food. He thought back to what Steve had said on their first date. _"Most of your friends don't know you're a couple."_ _I enjoyed surfing, but I'd rather have been with Steve._

He rang the doorbell.

McGarrett answered the door, opening it halfway and standing in the doorway. Danny was startled to hear conversation from the room behind him, as well as to smell the odors of beer and cigarette smoke, not usually present in Steve's vicinity.

"Detective Williams," Steve said, his voice formal.

"Er...before I went off duty I...I just wanted to report on that stakeout," Danny said, trying to hide the bag of food behind his back. Looking around Steve, he could see several military-looking men sitting around the coffee table, apparently playing cards. "Nothing...nothing of significance happened."

"Hey, have him come and join the game!" called someone from inside.

"I'm not having you lot take money from one of my staff," Steve said, looking back over his shoulder and smiling familiarly at the speaker, a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair.

He turned back. "I'll see you at Five-O tomorrow morning," he told Danny, stepping back and shutting the door.

_I'm such an idiot,_ Danny thought, as he rode the elevator down. _What did I think, that he'd be at home alone just waiting for me to show up? _He dumped the takeout in the lobby trash can on his way past. _Tonight, I don't want to eat by myself,_ he thought, heading for a neighborhood bar.

* * *

Having seen the last of his guests off, Steve dialed Danny's number. _No answer. Why should I be surprised? I pushed him away, so he went. Now I have my pride, but I'll be sleeping alone when I could have been welcoming Danny home. Pathetic, _and_ an idiot..._

The next morning Danny arrived at work with a slight headache. As usual, he stopped by McGarrett's office to start the day. Steve was sitting behind his desk, frowning as he sorted through a stack of papers. "Good morning, Steve," Danny said, standing in front of the desk, less at ease than usual in his friend's presence.

"Hi, Danny," McGarrett said, looking up briefly, expression unreadable.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your poker night."

"It was no problem. They didn't suspect anything. Just a few old friends from the Navy..." Steve said dismissively, returning to his task.

_Yeah, that's what I thought. He didn't need me, after all... _Danny thought, turning to leave.

* * *

That evening, Steve resolved to get things back to normal. _It's easy. Just say it. "Danno, want to come by for dinner tonight?" It's not like you'll have to beg._

As he sat at his desk, twilight gathering outside the windows, twice he moved to buzz May and ask her to send Danny in, then picked up a report instead.

The third time, he decided to just go in person. He strode across the outer office, only to find Danny's cubicle dark and empty.

Kono, walking past with a cup of coffee, saw the direction of his gaze. "Danny went home for the day," he said.

_I guess that solves that one..._

* * *

The next morning, Steve and Danny greeted each other on the surface as usual, neither making reference to the coolness between them.

Later that morning as Danny came into Steve's office with a report, the telephone rang.

* * *

The entire Five-O crew turned out to investigate the murder. The victim was Richard Han, university student and communist spy. Also, their only link to a spy ring that had cost more than a month's intensive work to uncover.

Han had been shot, his body found in the university's swimming pool. Five-O found spilled face powder beside the pool, and a library card in the water, in the name of Karen Adamson, a fellow student of Han's.

* * *

McGarrett, Danny, Chin, and Kono gathered in Steve's office to discuss the case.

The tall lead detective stood behind his desk in his shirt sleeves. "Karen Adamson, 20 years old, Caucasian, psychology major with excellent grades. Cheerleader, sorority queen... came to the islands three years ago with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Adamson of Detroit, Michigan," he summed up.

"Perfect professional assassin for a spy ring," Danny said, standing to one side of the desk with his arms crossed and a skeptical look on his face.

"Could be the best kind," offered Chin. He and Kono faced their boss across his desk. "We have a saying. They that shows no evil, will be suspected of none."

"Not so far as Five-O is concerned," Steve said, smiling, and everyone laughed. He turned and walked to look out the glass lanai door, considering. "You know, I find it hard to believe that a pro, even a lady pro, would drop her bag at the scene and leave us such convenient clues," he said.

"But why else would she kill Han?" Chin asked.

"Maybe she found out what he was, and didn't like it?" Kono asked.

"Or maybe she was in love with him, and he didn't like her?" Chin suggested.

"Sure. Typical American girl. She falls in love with a brilliant, young Maoist Chinese radical who's involved in a Commie spy ring, then she shoots him out of unrequited love. That's reaching pretty far," Danny said.

"I agree. You've got to give me something better." Steve leaned over, resting his hands on the desk. "Talk to her teachers, fellow students, friends, put together a complete dossier! If she's a pro, we don't want to blow it, and if she's not, it won't hurt to hold off."

* * *

Danny came into McGarrett's office to report, coming around to Steve's side of the desk and perching on the edge next to where Steve sat in his desk chair.

"Two kids saw Karen Adamson near the pool that morning," he said.

Steve found himself distracted from what Danny was saying. _Those pants...is he even wearing anything under them? I could just reach out...damn it, it's been too long. Did he sit this close to me on purpose? I don't care how hot he looks, I refuse to beg._

Danny continued. "One saw her come out in a big hurry just about the estimated time of death."

_Focus, Steve. And not _there_..._ He hastily looked up as Kono came in with a lab report.

"The face powder from Karen Adamson's locker matches the stuff we found at the pool." He handed Steve a folder.

Steve opened it, glanced quickly at the report. "Let's go, Danno."

They strode from the office, watched by Kono.

On the drive to Karen's apartment, both men were silent. _Now's your chance to talk to him. To try to make things right,_ Steve thought. _I don't see why _I_ should apologize, though. I'm sure he'll come around, sooner or later, and it's not like I can't wait, right? __ Keep telling yourself that..._

Karen's building was a modest white-painted walk-up with arched hallways open to the outside giving access to the front apartment doors.

McGarrett and Danny climbed the stairs to her apartment. Steve knocked at the door. There was no answer. He knocked again. In the apartment, a woman screamed. McGarrett and Danny drew their guns and kicked the door down, running into the apartment only to find that it had a back door, and she'd run out.

They ran after her down four flights of stairs and into the street, pausing to look around to see which way she had gone. They caught sight of her running into the intersection ahead, her neat blue skirt swinging, a gun clutched in one hand, and raced to follow, but before they could reach her, a big, white delivery truck bore down on her with a screech of brakes, then a sickening thud.

* * *

McGarrett crouched in the back of the ambulance, watching the young Asian doctor work on Karen Adams on the way to the hospital. She was bloody and only semi-conscious, weakly mumbling disconnected phrases.

"Mama...Mama...oh, no, no, oh, why did you have to die? No, please don't. Don't let him hit me. Paul!" She was moving her head back and forth in obvious agitation. "I hate him...I...hate him. Paul, no, please stop him Paul, stop. He's not my daddy. He's not. He's not. Paul, Dr. Farrar. Oh, God, why you? Mama. Mama..."

She was suddenly still.

"She just died, didn't she, doc?" said McGarrett grimly.

"Yes," the doctor told him.

Steve looked at her unmoving form, his chin resting on his hand.

* * *

Later that afternoon, McGarrett stood facing Danny across his desk.

"Steve, why send Joyce undercover and not me?" Danny demanded, leaning forward with his hands on the desk and a stubborn expression on his face.

McGarrett turned away to look out the lanai door. "You're too old to be a student."

"We could say I just got out of the Army. Don't you trust me to do the job? I minored in psych, I could pull it off," he said persuasively, standing up.

Steve walked around to Danny's side of the desk and sat on the edge. "It's not that, Danno," he explained, looking up at his young second-in-command. "Last time he used a girl. It will be easier for Joyce to get close to him. I don't think you're his type." _And if you are, I _definitely_ don't want you anywhere near him..._ He looked away, not wanting Danny to pick up on _that_ thought.

"We don't know he had any sort of romantic involvement with Karen Adamson. Kono said Farrar claimed not to even know about her personal life."

"If he's involved, he must have gotten close to her somehow, Danno, and a romantic relationship seems like the easiest way."

"Not necessarily. He could have offered her help on the assignments, or extra reading, or something." He ticked off the possibilities on his hand, walking back and forth in front of where his boss was perched.

Steve stood. "I know you want to solve this one, Danno, but it will be easier for Joyce," he said gently, resting his hand on Danny's shoulder for a moment.

"Steve..." Danny began. He looked squarely up at the taller man. "Steve, you wouldn't refuse to send me into something because you think it will be dangerous, would you? You _know_ we both have to be able to do what we need to, regardless!" he said, gesturing angrily.

"What would make you think anything like that?" Steve snapped, turning away, and walking back around the desk. "I'm not so wrapped up in you that I can't do my job!" He spun around, leaning across the desk to face his subordinate. "Joyce is the best person to go undercover, so I'm sending her, and that's that!" He slammed his fist on the desk.

An expression of hurt crossed Danny's face before he quickly turned way. "Fine, Steve," he said angrily, walking across the office and banging the door on his way out.

McGarrett slumped back into his desk chair, rubbing his temples to try to ease his sudden headache. _That's not how I meant for that to go...can't he listen to logic?_

* * *

McGarrett paced his office, brightly lit in contrast to the darkness outside the windows. Chin and Danny stood to one side, watching the proceedings.

"OK. Once more, from the top," he snapped.

"With feeling?" asked Joyce Bennett, the pretty, dark-haired policewoman McGarrett had chosen for the undercover job. She sat in one of the white chairs in front of McGarrett's desk, calm and collected despite Steve's grilling.

McGarrett perched on the edge of his desk, quizzing her once again about the details of her role. _I know I'm being hard on her, but I can't shake this feeling. I don't like this one at all. And am I _sure_ that Danny was wrong about my motives in sending her? I promised myself that if I ever start thinking that way... Maybe it's for the best that I don't see him outside work for a while._

Joyce had picked up on his unease. "What is it, Steve? You worried about me?" she smiled a little mockingly. "Look. I'm a policewoman."

"I know. I know. But I just saw a girl die. Yeah, I'm worried. I admit it." Steve stood up, walked behind his desk.

"You won't find anyone better equipped for the job. I majored in psych."

McGarrett looked out the lanai door at the tossing palms, silhouetted in the darkness. He turned back to look at her. "I know. I'm not worried about _you,_ honey, I'm worried about what I'm sending you into."

"All I've got to do is find out is if Farrar was involved, and, if so, how. What's so complicated about that?" Joyce asked.

"What do you think, Danno?" McGarrett asked, glancing over.

"As far as I can see, Karen shot Han out of jealousy or rejection. His involvement with the spy ring was probably just coincidence. She didn't know anything about it."

"Danny could be right," said Chin, standing behind one of the white chairs, gripping the top with his hands.

"That depends on how complicated Farrar is," McGarrett said. "He was a professor of oriental psychology in Europe before he joined the U.N. forces in the Korean action. Captured by North Korea, spent three years—three years as a POW."

"What does that mean?" Danny asked.

McGarrett took a breath, looked down with a shrug. "Well..."

Joyce chimed in, "You don't like it Steve, but I do. I'm fascinated by the idea of going back to school."

"OK." McGarrett looked down at his clasped hands. "OK, on one condition," he said, emphasizing his point with a finger. "That you take _absolutely_ no chances." _If anything happens to her, I'm responsible._

Chin saw Joyce out.

"It's late, Steve. I think I'm going to call it a night," Danny said.

"OK, see you tomorrow, Danno."

Steve watched Danny leave the office, then sighed and walked to the window, looking out through the white venetian blinds into the tropical night.


	2. A Bullet for McGarrett

McGarrett's unease about Farrar came to a head the next day. The kid who bought the gun used by Karen Adamson identified Farrar as the man who had him buy it. Furthermore, they had been unable to reach Joyce all day.

That evening, McGarrett decided to check Joyce's apartment. To his relief, she was there, having spent the day at the beach with Farrar.

Joyce was indignant when he told her he was taking her off the case, and scoffed at the idea that Farrar could be implicated in the crime, even with the evidence of the gun.

"You can't hypnotize someone to commit murder. It doesn't _work_ that way!" she said scornfully. She stood in her sunken living room looking across at McGarrett, standing in the apartment's small entryway, with flashing eyes, her face pale above her bright fuchsia housecoat.

"We don't know how it works. So far it's the only explanation. Now, until I find out for sure I want you to keep away from Farrar," he told her.

"You can't order me to stay away from him on my own time," she challenged.

"Joyce, I hope it's not necessary for me to order you to do anything," he said quietly. "Now, he's a dangerous man."

"You're the one who's _dangerous!"_ she threw back at him, sounding almost hysterical.

"What's the matter with you?" McGarrett asked, annoyed, stepping forward to take her by the shoulders.

"Let go of me, let _go!" _she exclaimed shrilly, struggling. She reached up and slapped McGarrett across the face.

He stepped back, frowning in puzzlement.

Joyce seemed to suddenly come back to herself. Her face lost its expression of fury, and she lowered her upraised hand. Turning away, she looked down in confusion, shaking her head.

"I...I'm so sorry, Steve. I...I must be tired. I don't know what's gotten into me." She looked up at him uncertainly.

"You're off the case. You understand that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Joyce nodded, smiling.

"You're not to see Farrar under any circumstances. Now, that's an order."

"A-OK, Boss."

Giving her a last look, McGarrett went out the door. _That was odd..._

* * *

Back at Five-O, Dr. Abrams from Island Hospital came by for a consultation. He theorized that it would be plausible for someone to be hypnotized to commit murder by using regression to associate the intended victim with some childhood trauma.

* * *

The telephone rang.

Steve, standing behind his desk in his shirtsleeves, leaned to pick it up. "McGarrett."

He straightened abruptly, turning to face the room as he held the receiver to his ear. "Joyce? Where are you?"

"Where?"

Chin and Danny looked on. Chin was in shirtsleeves and Danny had the top of his shirt open, his tie hanging undone around his neck. It had been a long night, and didn't look like being over yet.

"Wh...Now, look, honey, I told you to stay away from..." McGarrett said angrily. He abruptly broke off.

"What happened?" Danny asked, concerned.

McGarrett reached for the phone, rattling the hook up and down. "She hung up." He sounded uneasy.

"Where is she?" demanded his second-in-command.

Steve replaced the telephone receiver. "She's up at the university. She asked me to come up there alone." He looked down, worried.

"Alone? What for?" asked Chin.

"She didn't say, she just asked me to come alone."

"You sure it was her?" Danny asked.

"Oh, yeah, it was her." Steve strode to the coat tree beside the lanai door and started putting on his tie.

Danny followed him, his hands clenched around a coffee mug. "Steve, I don't like it," Danny said. "Remember Karen Adamson!"

"I've got to go, Danno. She sounded like she needed help."

"It could be a setup. Why risk it? We could all go in there, and..." He gestured with his free hand.

"And what?" McGarrett asked. "If it is a setup, that would only blow it." Steve was putting on his tie. "You heard what Dr. Abrams said. If we shake her up too much she could suffer post-hypnotic trauma. Shock. Total breakdown." He took his jacket off its hanger.

"Let us at least follow at a distance, so we'd be nearby if anything happens," Danny implored him.

"No. I can't take the risk of Farrar seeing you." Steve finished putting on his jacket, then stepped around his second-in-command and strode from the office.

Danny looked after him anxiously. _Steve, I _wish_ you wouldn't do this sort of thing. At least this time you have a gun, but...I'd be much happier if I were by your side. I suppose I'm always much happier by your side...not that you've seemed to want that since I came back from San Francisco, and...well, I guess I've been too proud to ask._

"Do you think Steve will be OK?" Kono asked.

"I don't know." Danny said, pacing in front of the desk. "Why would Joyce want him to come alone if it's not some scheme of Farrar's? I don't like it at all." He stopped and turned to face Chin and Kono. "And what if Farrar didn't just convince her to get him out there? What if he's somehow hypnotized Joyce like Karen Adamson, made it so she'll hurt Steve? He wouldn't be on his guard with her like he would with Farrar."

"Could be, Danny," Chin said, looking concerned.

"That's it. I'm going up there," Danny snapped.

"Danny, Steve chose to go alone," Kono reminded him.

"And I'm choosing to go after him," Danny declared. He hurried towards the door, tying his tie as he went.

He drove through the night-time streets with his siren blaring. _Steve, please, be safe..._

When he approached the university, he killed the siren and cruised slowly towards the classroom building. _There's Steve's car._ He pulled up some distance away and parked, then climbed out of the car, easing the door quietly shut. He walked cautiously in the direction of the car, the wind rustling in the trees, the scene dimly lit by moonlight and the small overhead lights on the building's walkways.

Suddenly, a gunshot rent the soft tropical night. Danny drew his own gun and ran towards the sound, which seemed to have come from somewhere in front of the two-story classroom building ahead. As he turned the corner, he was startled to see Steve, looking battered and bloody in his blue suit, standing on the landing of the concrete steps facing Joyce. Her peach dress was pale in the moonlight, her dark eyes wide in her white face. In her hands she held a gun pointed at McGarrett. She was pulling the trigger repeatedly, the hammer falling with a click on an empty chamber. Danny reached her and grabbed the gun.

"Joyce! What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, holstering his own gun and sticking hers in his waistband. He grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her.

"I...I shot Steve," she said, sounding dazed.

"_Shot?"_ Danny demanded. He turned to look at Steve where he stood on the landing. _"Steve?" Oh, God, there's blood all down the front of his jacket!_

"Yeah," Steve said. "My shoulder." He was swaying a bit.

Danny was at his side in three strides. "Steve! Lie down," he ordered, helping him do so, then taking off his jacket and folding it to place under Steve's head. He tried to assess the damage, but couldn't make much out through the bloody mess of Steve's once-white shirt. He took out his folded handkerchief and put it over the wound. "I'm sorry, this is going to hurt," he said as he pressed down firmly.

Steve grunted and squeezed his eyes shut for a second. "So, what took you so long, Danno?" he asked softly, with a half smile.

"_What took me so long?_ Maybe the fact that you insisted on running off on your own, with no backup!" Danny said angrily. "Steve, don't ever do this to me again!"

"No promises..."

"Joyce!" Danny snapped, looking over his shoulder at her as she stood at the bottom of the steps. "Go to Steve's car and radio for help!"

Joyce was staring into the distance. "Mother?"

"_Joyce!_ Snap out of it!"

She blinked. "Danny?" she asked, bewildered, looking up at him.

"Yes, 'Danny'. Now _go to Steve's car and radio for an ambulance!"_

Just then another car pulled up behind Steve's, and Chin and Kono climbed out. "Danny! What happened?" Kono called, seeing Five-O's second-in-command bent over the prone form of their boss.

"Steve's been shot. We need an ambulance, fast!"

Chin radioed, while Kono walked towards Joyce, who was still standing in shock. "I shot Steve?"

"_She_ shot Steve?" Kono demanded, looking up at Danny.

"She was hypnotized or something," Danny told him. "Take care of her, will you? And it looks like there's someone on the ground by the building. See who it is, and if he's still alive."

"Steve, are you all right? Stay with me!" Danny ordered.

"I'm OK, Danny," he answered, his voice hardly audible.

Kono ran past them up the stairs, exchanging a worried glance with his friend.

The handkerchief in Danny's hands was warm and sticky, soaked through with blood._ Where the hell is that ambulance?_ he thought.

"It's Farrar over here. He's dead," Kono called.

The ambulance finally arrived. Danny crouched in the back, anxiously watching as they cut away Steve's clothing, exposing the bullet wound. McGarrett's eyes were closed, and his face was pale under the blood and bruises.

"Is he going to be OK?" Danny asked anxiously.

"Well, it didn't hit a major artery, or he'd have bled to death by now," said the doctor, working busily. "But he's still losing a lot of blood. We need to do surgery to get the bullet out."

* * *

Danny paced the small surgery waiting room. _It's not as bad as when Trinian shot him,_ he told himself. _But, in a way, it's worse. I thought then that I couldn't bear to lose him, but now he's even more precious to me. Now that I know what it's like for him to be mine. For me to be his. And we wasted this whole week on some kind of silly fight. How could we be so stupid? What if I never get a chance to apologize? Please, he has to be OK..._

"Danny, he'll be fine," Chin reassured him from his seat in one of the uncomfortable vinyl waiting room chairs. "You know one measly bullet isn't enough to stop Steve."

Danny tried to smile. "Thanks, Chin."

"It seems like just a little while ago that I was here with Steve. He was pacing the same way while you were in surgery."

"Eleven months," Danny said. _Has it really only been that long? My life has changed so much since then. I've never been so happy as for these eleven months. Eleven months of happiness. Not long enough. Not nearly long enough._

Kono came in carrying a shopping bag and a thermos. "Sandwiches and coffee from my Mom," he said.

"Just like last time," Chin said, with a chuckle.

"Danny, you and Steve need to stop getting shot," Kono told him seriously, pouring a paper cup of coffee and handing it to him.

"Thanks, Kono, I'll keep that in mind." _Me getting shot was worth it, since it's led to the best times in my life. Steve getting shot...I hope it doesn't lead to the worst times in my life._

He went back to his pacing, warming his hands on the cup against the chill in his heart.

* * *

The white-coated surgeon came into the room where Five-O waited. They stood, forming an expectant semi-circle.

"We got the bullet out and stopped the bleeding. That fight he had after being shot didn't do him any good, but I think he should make a full recovery, with some physical therapy."

"When can we see him?" Kono asked.

"We're transferring him to the ICU, so you can see him there. One at a time, please."

"Chin, Kono, why don't you go home and get some rest?" Danny said. "I'll go sit with him."

"Same as last time..." Chin said softly as he passed Danny.

* * *

Steve opened his eyes. _Hospital room. I've been spending too much time in these lately..._ he thought, blinking. He tried to turn his head to look around, and let out an involuntary groan.

Danny was suddenly leaning over the bed. "Steve? Don't try to move."

"Danny. How'm I doing?" Steve looked up at him, trying to focus.

"They say you'll be fine. Just rest now," Danny said, gently taking Steve's hand and pulling his chair closer.

"Thanks, Danno..." Steve felt consciousness receding.

* * *

When the Five-O chief awoke again, daylight streamed through the window. Danny was asleep leaning forward onto the bed, his head pillowed on his folded arms. _Danny. Thanks for being here,_ he thought.

He drifted in and out of sleep until Danny stirred and sat up, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Awake?" Steve said, smiling.

"Sorry, Steve, that's supposed to be my line," Danny told him, stretching his arms. "How are you feeling?"

"Been better..." Steve admitted.

Danny looked at his watch. "Crap! I have your meeting with the Governor to go to in half an hour, and I have to run home and change." He looked down at his shirt, still stained with Steve's blood. "Steve...I need to tell you..."

"...'s OK, go change. See you after work?" Steve's eyes closed again.

* * *

_He stood at the altar, beside Cathy Wallis, in a white dress and veil. "Wait! I can't get married!" Steve protested. "Danny..."_

_He looked desperately around the church. "Danny...Danno...where are you? I need you here, I need to stop this..."_

_The priest was reading the vows._

"_Cathy, no!" Steve cried frantically. He tried to leave the altar, but Cathy had his hand in a firm grip, and wouldn't let him go. He turned to her. "I have to go find Danny! He's the one I need by my side!"_

"_Why? I thought you didn't want to need anyone. Didn't want your happiness to depend on someone else being there. You'd be better off with me, then you wouldn't have to care," she told him._

"_Danny!" he shouted. "Danny!"_

_Keeping his right hand clutched in her left, she produced a gleaming chef's knife, raised it high, then plunged it into his left shoulder._

* * *

"Ahh!" Steve cried out in pain.

Danny clung tightly to Steve's hand, frantically trying to hold him down by his good shoulder. "Easy, Steve! Easy, I'm right here. Please, don't try to move, you'll hurt yourself."

"Sorry...nightmare," Steve muttered."Never mind. Meeting. How was the meeting?" His voice was slightly blurred with pain and medication.

"Fine. The governor is happy about the reduction in violent crime rates, and he thinks the anti-burglary task force you suggested is a good idea."_ Even in this state, he thinks of work first? How very Steve. He looks so pale, except for the bruises. If Joyce hadn't shot Farrar, I could kill him just for doing this to Steve's beautiful face. Is it odd to think of a man that way? Well, he's beautiful to me..._

"Good. Thanks, Danno," he said.

"Five-O sent flowers," Danny said, with his free hand indicating a table next to the wall with several arrangements on it. "The one with the red antheriums. Chin and Kono are here to see you, too, but they'll only let us in one at a time and I claimed the first visit. I suppose I should let them have their turns," he said, smiling.

"Wait. I need to say something..."

"No, you don't. They've got you doped to the gills, and anything you say now you'd probably regret," Danny told him. "Just rest now, and tell me later."

"No, I have to tell you now, while...while I can," Steve insisted, clutching Danny's hand tighter and trying to sit up, then wincing and falling back onto the pillow.

"_Steve._ Lie still!"

"Then listen. I...I want to apologize for this week. Scared...I was scared by how much I missed you. How empty my life seems now when you're gone. When you went surfing...called the guys over to try to convince myself I didn't need your company..."

"Steve, why didn't you just tell me you didn't want me to go?" Danny said exasperatedly.

"Didn't want to keep you from spending time with your friend. It's just...your first day back..." he trailed off.

"Steve, I'm sorry, too. I...I was hurt that you didn't seem to want me around, so I guess I wanted to make you ask me...then when I saw you standing there with all the blood...I was so afraid that we'd never get a chance to make up." he said, his voice breaking. He looked away to hide the tears in his eyes.

"Danny...nothing's any good when you're not around..."

"Don't worry, you won't be able to get rid of me once you get home," Danny said. He glanced up at the round window set in the door. "What was it you said?" He leaned over and gave Steve a quick, gentle kiss on his battered mouth. "Just this once..."

* * *

"How's the worst patient ever doing today?" the doctor asked McGarrett.

"If you let me out of here, you won't have to worry about whether I'm a good patient or not," McGarrett growled.

"I will if you end up back here"

"I'll make sure he doesn't," Danny said. "He'll rest if I have to sit on him."

_That sounds good,_ Steve thought with amusement. _I might not get too much _rest_, though..._

Danny looked over at him, caught his expression, and blushed.

The doctor sighed. "Against my better judgment, I'll let you go home this evening. No work for at _least_ another two weeks, though, and keep that arm in the sling!"

"Thanks, doc."

* * *

Danny unlocked Steve's door.

"It's nice to be home," Steve observed, standing in the living room looking around the condo. His arm was in a sling, the dark blue fabric incongruous with the colorful flower pattern on his long-sleeved aloha shirt.

"I've been staying here to...to keep your plants watered," Danny told him. _ I know it's silly, but sleeping in your bed made me feel at least a little closer to you._

"Thanks, Danny," Steve said with a smile.

"Kono's mom sent some chicken soup to heat up for dinner, so you're saved from my cooking this evening."

The ate the soup sitting across from each other at the kitchen table.

"Thank Kono for me," Steve said. "After the hospital food, this is just what I needed. So, what cases are we working on now?"

"_We_ aren't working on anything," Danny told him. "Remember, you promised the doctor."

Steve made a face. "I won't _go_ to work, but surely he didn't mean I couldn't keep up from here."

"Oh, yes, he did," Danny said, waving his spoon for emphasis. "Besides, don't you trust me to run things while you're gone?"

"Of course I do, but since I don't have anything else to do, I might as well keep up!"

"What you have to do is rest!" Danny said heatedly, then paused. "I'm sorry, Steve, we shouldn't be arguing."

"Let's change the subject," Steve said, eating a spoonful of soup.

"OK, I've been curious...when you were dreaming in the hospital you said something...who's Cathy?"

"Cathy! What did I say?" Steve asked, chagrined. He picked up his water glass.

"You said, 'Cathy, no!' and then...then you were calling my name."

"Cathy Wallis. She was the sister of one my classmates at the Academy. After we graduated, I was...seeing a man." He glanced up at Danny, then looked down. "Secretly, of course. Cathy pretended to be my girlfriend to throw off suspicion." He studied the glass in his hand.

"She was willing to do that?"

"She was dating a Japanese-American officer. Her parents would have had a fit if they knew, so she was happy to have an acceptable boyfriend to bring to family functions."

"It doesn't seem right to have to lie and hide to be with the person you love," Danny said indignantly.

"No. I'm afraid life just isn't fair." Steve set the glass down and looked across at Danny with a half smile.

"What happened to them? Did they get married?"

"No." He leaned back in his chair, looking into space as though seeing the past. "Cathy dumped him for some rich guy her parents approved of."

"I guess love isn't always enough," Danny said, looking down at the spoon in his hand. He raised his eyes back to Steve. "What was she doing in your dream?"

"I...I don't quite remember," Steve said, looking away evasively.

* * *

After dinner, Danny helped Steve change into pajamas, which required taking off his sling temporarily as he sat on the edge of the bed. Steve moved his arm slightly, wincing.

"Steve! Don't move it if it hurts," Danny remonstrated.

"How will I know if it hurts until I try?" Steve asked reasonably, as Danny leaned over him, helping get the sling back on.

"Just don't overdo it. Is there a spare blanket around here somewhere?"

"The hall closet. Why?"

"I'm going to sleep on the couch."

"Don't you dare," Steve said, looking up at Danny.

"When I was shot, you said you were no good at resisting temptation," Danny reminded him, waving his finger.

"Who said I was going to resist?" He smiled.

"See, that's why I have to sleep in the living room."

"Please...just...just keep me company?" Steve asked, glancing up at Danny and then away.

"OK, Steve. If you promise to just sleep."

As Steve lay listening to Danny's even breathing beside him, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder, his last conscious thought was, _When did it become easier to sleep with someone else in bed with me? Well, not just anyone else. Danny..._


	3. Danny in Charge

McGarrett spent the next day alternating between napping in a deck chair on the lanai and being bored. He surreptitiously gave his arm a try, but the resulting feeling was bad enough to make him take the maximum allowable dose of the pain pills he'd been prescribed. He was asleep stretched out on the sofa when Danny came in, juggling a paper bag of groceries and his briefcase. He shut the door and set down the case.

Steve opened his eyes. "Hi, Danny."

"How are you feeling?" Danny crossed to the couch and looked down at his boss with concern, the groceries still in his arms.

"Bored." McGarrett yawned. "All this resting is apparently tiring," he said, with a half smile.

Danny took the groceries to the kitchen, then, leaving them on the counter, returned to the living room, opening his briefcase. "I thought I'd cook for you tonight, Steve," he said. "I promise it will be better than last time—I got a book from the library." He brought it over to show Steve.

"_101 Foolproof Recipes for the Busy Housewife_, huh?" _That doesn't bode well, but I guess everyone has to start somewhere, _Steve thought. He dozed off again as Danny went to start dinner, to be woken by an exclamation from the kitchen. Sitting up abruptly, he let out an exclamation of his own as pain shot through his shoulder.

Danny came out of the kitchen holding a red-stained handkerchief around his finger. "Steve, are you OK?" he asked anxiously.

"I could ask you the same thing. How bad is it?"

"It's nothing. I just need a band-aid so I don't bleed on the food."

"In the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, top shelf."

After Danny returned, his finger bandaged, Steve asked, "What were you cutting?"

"An onion."

"When I get my left hand back, I'll show you some knife skills. It's like gun safety—it's important to do things the right way, or you'll get hurt."

"_Now_ you tell me," Danny said, laughing. "Go back to your nap. This should be done in half an hour. I hope." He returned to the kitchen.

* * *

An hour later, Danny triumphantly set the casserole dish on a trivet in the middle of the kitchen table and removed the lid. "There! Cheesy Hamburger Casserole."

"It looks very...nourishing," Steve said, looking at the bubbling substance.

"That's what I thought," Danny said. "You need to build up your strength." He dished out a plateful and set it in front of Steve, looking at him expectantly.

Steve took a bite. _I could eat like this in the Navy, but I'm not as young as I used to be...as soon as my arm is better, I swear I'm going to teach Danny to cook real food. Without casualties, I hope._

"You don't like it, do you? I guess, come to think of it, it's not really the sort of thing you usually eat." Danny looked crestfallen.

"No, no, it's great!" Steve said, hastily taking another bite. "It's nice to have a change. I was just trying to guess what's in it. Green peppers?"

"Yeah, onion, green pepper, a can of tomatoes, hamburger, and macaroni. The recipe said if you used American cheese it would melt better, and it really worked," Danny said proudly, serving himself and sitting down.

"Yes, it's very...cheesy," Steve said, trying to eat with enthusiasm.

Danny beamed across the table at him.

_For that smile, I'll finish the whole thing. _"Danny...thanks. I don't think anyone's cooked for me since my mother died."

* * *

McGarrett leaned back in his desk chair and sighed, rubbing his eyes. _I've been looking forward to this day for weeks, and I'm sure I've been making Danny's life hell with my impatience, but now that I'm here..._ His shoulder ached, the pile of paperwork on his desk was a foot high, and he had a budget meeting with the governor that afternoon that he was totally unprepared for. At least Five-O didn't seem to have any really big cases going at the moment.

Danny came in with Chin and Kono, carrying a stack of papers. "Steve, here are all the reports for the new cases we worked while you were gone." He set them on the desk.

"Thanks, Danno."

"Also...we knew you had a budget meeting today, so the three of us looked at your budget report from last year and tried to write up some recommendations." He looked over at Kono, who reached across the desk with the folder he had been carrying, opening it and setting it in front of his boss.

"I...I don't know what to say," McGarrett said. He blinked quickly and looked down to hide an unexpected rush of emotion.

"Say 'thanks', bruddah," advised Kono. "This budget stuff is hard!"

Steve smiled, and everyone laughed. _I missed my _'_ohana,_ he thought.

* * *

That afternoon, Steve leaned back in his desk chair in the warm sunlight streaming through the lanai door. _I should go over the budget material again,_ he thought, picking up Danny, Chin, and Kono's report. _I have to meet the governor in half an hour..._

_Danny came into the office. He crossed to where Steve sat behind the desk._

"_You don't need to read this again, you already know it by heart," he said, taking the report from Steve's hands._

"_This will leave you much more refreshed for your meeting," he said, sitting on Steve's lap and starting to work removing his tie._

"_Wait...Danny, we can't do this here!" Steve protested._

"_Sure we can. I locked the door and told Jenny that we're having an important meeting and are not to be disturbed._

"_Well..." Steve gave in._

_Holding his second-in-command with his good arm, he said "Danny...God, I've missed this."_

"_Me, too, Steve," Danny told him, unbuttoning Steve's shirt and bending to kiss him._

_Steve sucked his breath in sharply as Danny's hand moved downward to stroke him through his pants..._

The telephone rang.

Abruptly sitting up, Steve picked up the receiver.

"McGarrett?"

"Steve, welcome back!"

"Er...thank you, Governor." McGarrett leaned over to fish the budget report from the floor, where he had apparently dropped it upon falling asleep.

"Don't bother to come over for our meeting. I'll drop by the Five-O office."

Sitting up and setting the report on the desk, Steve tried to adjust his pants to alleviate his discomfort. "I was just going to start over..."

"It's your first day back. I don't want you to exert yourself unnecessarily," the Governor said.

"Thank you, Governor. Aloha."

McGarrett replaced the receiver.

_That's nice of him, though I'm getting tired of everyone treating me with kid gloves. Kono won't let me reach for a folder without opening it on the desk for me, and as for Danny...I can't believe he's being so stubborn about waiting until I'm completely recovered. Even though he sleeps in my bed, he insists on lying at the very edge, out of arm's reach. Maybe tonight...if I'm well enough to be _here,_ then..._

* * *

The intercom buzzed. McGarrett heard Jenny's voice, "the Governor is here."

"Send him in," he told her.

Governor Jameson strode into Steve's office. "Welcome back, Steve!" he said, reaching across the desk to shake hands.

"Thanks, Governor. It's good to be back."

"Not that Williams didn't do a good job in your absence," Jameson said, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Steve's desk. "You really chose your protégée well."

"Thanks. You know I think very highly of him," McGarrett said with an inward smile. He came around the desk to join the Governor, sitting in one of the high-backed white chairs rather than taking his usual perch on the desk edge in deference to his injured shoulder.

"How is the policewoman who shot you? I understand she was brainwashed somehow?" the Governor asked, leaning forward inquiringly.

"She's been working with a police psychiatrist. I haven't seen her since the incident, since they felt it might slow her recovery. They say she'll be OK, in time."

"Good, good," said the Governor, sitting back. "Now, about this budget meeting..."

* * *

That evening, Steve and Danny celebrated with takeout from Steve's favorite Italian restaurant. Afterwards, they drank coffee in the living room, discussing the work of the day.

"Danny, you did a great job holding things together while I was gone," McGarrett said, leaning back on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table.

Danny smiled over at Steve from where he lounged in an armchair at right angles to the couch. "I'm just glad you're back, Steve. If I had to go to one more meeting with politicians and bureaucrats..."

"Yeah, welcome to my life. It's not _all_ long hours, tedious legwork, and getting shot," McGarrett said, smiling.

The doorbell rang. Steve sat up, swinging his feet off the table and automatically giving a quick glance around the living room. _We're fully dressed. No reason Danny shouldn't be here eating dinner with me._

"Go ahead and get it," he told Danny, waiting by the door.

Danny opened the door and was surprised to see Joyce Bennett on the doorstep, the first time he'd seen her since the night she shot Steve. She seemed equally surprised to see him.

"Oh..." she said. "I...I wanted to talk to Steve. If he's not resting?"

"I'm here," Steve said, coming to the door. "Come in."

"I'll wait in there," Danny said, indicating the bedroom door, leaving Joyce and Steve alone in the living room.

"Have a seat," McGarrett offered, gesturing towards the chair recently vacated by Danny. "Can I get you some coffee?"

"No, no, I'll only take a minute of your time." She stood looking uncertainly up at him.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Steve..." she began, glancing at his arm in its sling. "Oh, Steve, I'm so sorry!"

"You were hypnotized in the line of duty," he told her. He raised a hand towards her shoulder, then dropped it. "It wasn't your fault. And that night, I should have seen there was something wrong and not let you go. I owe you an apology for putting you in danger."

"No, it was my fault. I should have been able to fight it! I should never have been able to harm you, of all people!" She looked up at him, tears running down her face.

"What, shooting your boss doesn't seem like a good idea?" he smiled reassuringly. "It's OK, Joyce."

She shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean." She clasped her hands in front of herself and turned away, taking a step towards the door. "Steve, I...I guess I've felt like this for a long time, but I've been afraid to say anything." She turned back to face him. "I'm in love with you! And I shot you! Please, let me make it up to you. I'll come over and cook, take care of you..." She stood in front of him, looking up at him entreatingly.

"Joyce," he broke in gently. "Thank you. But I'm afraid it's impossible for there to be anything between us." _At least this time I don't have any hard decisions to make,_ he thought wryly.

"I...I was afraid of that," she said, turning away to fish a tissue from her purse.

He stood behind her. "Joyce, I'm truly sorry. I don't blame you for shooting me, and I'd be happy to work with you on another case."

"Steve McGarrett, all business, all the time," she said, looking back at him with a watery smile.

_Not all the time..._ he thought, an image of Danny waiting in the bedroom crossing his mind.

"Goodnight, Steve," she said, moving for the door, dabbing at her eyes with the kleenex.

"Goodnight, Joyce." He let her out, then sighed, leaning back against the door and shaking his head.

Danny came out of the bedroom after the door closed. "I'm sorry, Steve, but I didn't want to get out of earshot in case she had any of Farrar's programming left."

"Protecting me, Danno?" Steve asked with a smile, standing up and crossing the living room to join his partner.

"Someone has to do it. When I leave you alone you go and get yourself shot. So, how do you manage to inspire all your subordinates to fall in love with you? Who's next, Chin?" he asked, smiling.

"Chin knows I'm taken," Steve said, taking the opportunity to put his good arm around Danny and pull him close for a kiss.

"Poor Joyce," Danny said, standing in the taller man's embrace and looking up into his deep blue eyes. "I know how painful it is to feel unrequited love for Steve McGarrett."

"Danny...I'm sorry about that."

"Water under the bridge," Danny said. He turned away, moving out of the semicircle of Steve's arm. "Steve...I've...I've been meaning to tell you. Thank you for not sending me undercover. If Farrar had made me shoot you..."

"It wouldn't have been your fault, any more than it was Joyce's," McGarrett said gently, moving to put his arm around Danny's shoulders.

"Still, I couldn't...couldn't bear knowing..." He looked at his feet.

"I was afraid I assigned her instead of you because I had a bad feeling about the situation, and I didn't want to risk your life," Steve admitted. "That's why I went alone when she asked—I felt responsible for whatever happened to her."

"Steve, you were right that it would work better to send a woman. I'm sorry I questioned your decision."

"Questioning my decisions is one of your jobs as second-in-command," Steve smiled, sliding his arm down to Danny's waist again. He leaned over for a kiss, this time deeper, his tongue meeting Danny's, their bodies pressed as close as the obstacle of Steve's immobilized arm would allow.

"Wait, Steve," Danny said, struggling to focus as Steve's mouth found his earlobe. "I'm questioning your decision to do this right now. Your shoulder...Steve! Stop that!" He put his hand on Steve's good shoulder and pushed gently to try to separate them. "Not until the doctor says you're completely recovered."

"Danny, you can't possibly mean that. It's been forever! My shoulder is fine. I won't take my arm out of the sling, and if it hurts, we'll stop." Steve was leaning down attempting to unbutton Danny's shirt with his teeth so as not to have to release his hold on his waist.

"That doctor is right," Danny said, gasping, as Steve, having abandoned his attempt, moved his mouth over Danny's nipple, licking it through the fabric of his shirt. "You _are_ the worst patient ever. Wait...we can do this, but only if you let me take care of everything, and do what I say."

"OK, this time you're the boss." The dark-haired detective stood up, releasing his partner and moving half a step back.

* * *

"Kiss me," Danny ordered.

As McGarrett smiled and moved to comply, Dan unbuttoned Steve's shirt, sliding his left hand under it to feel the muscled contours of his partner's chest, with its crisp, dark hair, careful to stay away from the bandaged shoulder.

* * *

**NOTE:** This scene has been cut to comply with the provisions of the Fanfiction dot net Terms of Service concerning adult content. You can see it at its full length (heh) on the Archive of Our Own, where I'm "LadyOscar" (direct link in my profile).

* * *

He told Steve to lie still as he fetched a damp washcloth and cleaned them up, then lay in a compromise version of his usual favorite position, stretched out against Steve's body, wrapped around his good arm. He sleepily kissed Steve's shoulder.

"Mm...Danny, I missed this," Steve said.

"I did, too," Danny admitted. "But that doesn't change that you need to have more common sense when you're injured!"

"Even _now_ you're riding me about that?" Steve said indignantly.

_I suppose if you weren't the worst patient ever, you wouldn't be Steve..._ Danny thought as he fell asleep.


	4. Please Stay By My Side

Steve extended his arms. "A clean bill of health from the physical therapist," he declared. "No more sling."

"Are you sure you didn't push things?" Danny asked skeptically.

"I wasn't about to be stuck at less than full capacity for our anniversary, if that's what you mean," Steve said, smiling. "Now, we need to get changed. Our reservation's at seven."

* * *

After dinner at Duke's Canoe Club in Waikiki, where they had spent their first date, Steve and Danny returned to McGarrett's condo and stood on the lanai in the soft Hawaiian night. The glow of the overhead fixture revealed the potted palm in the corner, stirring in the breeze, and the pair of wooden deck chairs separated by a small table, but left their faces partly in shadow as they leaned on the railing, admiring the lights of the city.

Danny looked over at Steve. "Steve...I have something for you," he said, turning to face him and taking a small wrapped box out of his pocket. "I didn't want to do this at the restaurant..." He handed the box to McGarrett.

Steve tore off the paper, then opened the box to reveal a pair of monogrammed silver cufflinks in a sleek, modern style. He looked up at Danny and smiled.

"I like it when you wear shirts with French cuffs," Danny said, blushing a bit.

"Thank you," Steve said, moving away from the railing to take off the plain cufflinks he was wearing and put the new ones in. He shot his cuffs, then bent his elbows to show Danny his wrists, giving him the sweet smile his co-workers rarely saw. "I love them."

"Hang on," he said, going into the bedroom. "I have something for you, too." He returned carrying a small, oblong box. He handed it to Danny, then turned away to lean on the lanai railing, looking out.

Danny opened the box to reveal a wristwatch. _Wow! This was expensive. And why is Steve looking so self-conscious all of a sudden? I wonder..._ He turned the watch over and saw that there was an inscription. _'Danny, please stay by my side. Today, tomorrow, and always.'_

He looked up at Steve, who was still apparently transfixed by the view. "Steve..." he began, and had to stop and clear his throat. He tried for a light tone. "And here I was just thinking that now you have the sling off, you wouldn't need me around the house anymore."

McGarrett turned on him, his blue eyes piercing. "Never, Danny," he said, putting his hands on his partner's shoulders. "Besides, I'm determined to teach you to cook..."

Danny laughed. "That could be a challenge."

"...among other things," Steve added. "Come on, let's go inside."

* * *

In the bedroom they stood, periodically washed in moonlight as the wind blew the curtains away from the open jalousie windows, banging the curtain pulls.

"Steve..." Danny said, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Danny...God, I've missed this." Steve moved to kiss Danny, his mouth urgent, but gentle. He slid Danny's jacket and tie off, then unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, enjoying the play of moonlight on Danny's muscular shoulders as he ran his hands over them caressingly.

"I want to see you, too, Steve," Danny said, working on Steve's clothing.

"I'm afraid I have a new scar..." _I'm far ahead of you on those, and that's not counting the kind of scars you can't see..._ Steve thought.

"I don't care," his partner declared, sliding McGarrett's shirt off his shoulders and bending to lay a gentle kiss on the place where Joyce's bullet had come too close to destroying their happiness forever.

"Danny..." Steve bent to lay his face on the top of Dan's curly head.

Danny tugged at Steve's shirt, trying to get it the rest of the way off.

"Wait, wait..." McGarrett stepped back to carefully remove his new cufflinks. He walked over to set them on the dresser, then took off his shirt.

Danny, standing behind him, put his arms around Steve's trim waist, running his hands over his flat stomach, resting his face against the taller man's back.

* * *

**NOTE:** This scene has been cut to comply with the provisions of the Fanfiction dot net Terms of Service concerning adult content. You can see it at its full length (heh) on the Archive of Our Own, where I'm "LadyOscar" (direct link in my profile).

* * *

Afterwards, as they held each other and their breathing returned to normal, Steve leaned forward to tenderly kiss Danny on the mouth, and was dismayed to see how bruised his partner's mouth looked, a line of blood showing on his lower lip. There were bruises on his neck and red marks on his chest from Steve's teeth. _I didn't mean to get that rough..._

"Danny..." Steve said softly, running a finger over Danny's lips. "I'm sorry."

"It's OK, Steve," Danny said, smiling. "I know how difficult it's been for you these past weeks, having to be dependent on me, not being in control."

"I...I haven't repaid you very well for taking care of me," McGarrett said. Lying like this, face to face across the pillow, it was hard to avoid his partner's eyes. He lowered his eyelashes. "It's just...I guess I don't have a lot of experience having anyone take care of me. My father was killed when I was 14. After that, I had to be the man of the family. And when my mother died a few years later, it was just me and Mary Ann, and I had to look after her. I always had to be strong. Now...I guess I can't stand to feel helpless."

"Steve..." Danny said, blinking back unexpected moisture. "You're not alone anymore. No matter what happens, if you want me, I'll be there. And...and I may not be very good at it, but I'll do my best to take care of you."

Steve rolled onto his back, blinking hard and passing a hand over his eyes. "You don't know what that means to me," he said, his voice a bit uneven. "Tonight...I guess I was so happy to have my strength back, to be able to hold you the way I usually do, that I got carried away." He stopped staring at the ceiling and turned back to face Danny. "I'm sorry..."

"There's no need to apologize." His sandy-haired partner smiled up at him. "I appreciate having you back to normal."

"Thank you...for being here for me, Danny." Steve told him.

"I never want to be anywhere but by your side, Steve. Always..."

"Danny..." Steve held him close, unable to express the depth of his feeling in words, and they fell asleep that way, side by side.


End file.
